The Walking Dead Actor to Star in 24's Reboot

Fox has found its star for the upcoming 24 reboot, 24: Legacy. Corey Hawkins of The Walking Dead and Straight Outta Compton fame will play the role of protagonist Eric Carter.

As outlined when Fox officially announced Legacy earlier this month, Carter is a military hero who returns to the United States with trouble following him. He turns to the Counter Terrorist Unit to save his life and ends up helping to prevent a terrorist attack on the US.

"There's a time jump, a new organization, a completely different story," Fox co-chairman and CEO Dana Walden said recently (via TVLine). "It's a contemporary story about the potential to activate sleeper cells in the United States. There are nods in the pilot to prior CTU agents, but no ongoing characters."

Series veterans Howard Gordon, Manny Coto, and Evan Katz are all signed on as executive producers for Legacy. So far, only a pilot has been ordered; it's possible it won't ever go to a full series.

Hawkins plays Heath on The Walking Dead, and was Dr. Dre in Straight Outta Compton. Those are two of his biggest roles to date, though he also played smaller parts in things like Iron Man 3 and Non-Stop.

Kiefer Sutherland, who played the role of Jack Bauer throughout the existing series, won't return for Legacy, though he could end up in a producer role. Sutherland famously took over the role of Metal Gear Solid's Solid Snake for the most recent games. News of his replacement on 24 prompted a quip from original Snake voice actor David Hayter.